Box-wrapping apparatus



June 25, 1968 w s 3,389,644

BOX-WRAPPING APPARATUS Filed June 8, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet l All!!! 35 44 INVENTOR ALBERT HENRY WILLIAMS AGENT June 25, 1968 w s 3,389,644

BOX-WRAPPING APPARATUS Filed June 8, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 June 25, 1968 A. H. WILLIAMS BOX-WRAPPING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 8, 1965 FIG 8 June 25, 1968 A. H. WILLIAMS BOX-WRAPPING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 8, 1965 FIG 9 A. H. WILLIAMS BOX-WRAPPING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR ALBERT HENRY WILLIAMS AGENT June 25, 1968 Filed June 6, 1965 339,644 Patented June 25, 1968 iice 3,389,644 BOX-WRAPPING APPARATUS Albert Henry Wiiliams, Stanton-on-the-Wolds, Engiand, assignor to Caledex Machine Company Limited Filed June 8, 1965, Ser. No. 462,301

Claims priority, application Great Britain, June 10, 1964,

23,966/64 Claims. (Cl. 93-40) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A box-wrapping apparatus in which an assembly, consisting of a box superimposed mouth-upwards on a wrapper having an adhesively-coated upper surface and protruding margins, is disposed above a vertically-reciprocably form block and by descent of the form block is forced down past wrapper-applying tools; the provision of a form block consisting of upper and lower members and of block-reciprocating mechanism incorporating an adjustment of the length of stroke of the block in such manner that the lower position of the top member of the block remains substantially unchanged but the upper position of the top member is changed, so that the apparatus may readily be adapted to boxes of differing depth by employing a lower member of appropriate depth and adjusting the stroke.

This invention concerns box-wrapping apparatus of the type having a vertically-reciprocatable form block consisting of upper and lower members, and a verticallyreciprocatable anvil below the form block, in which apparatus with the anvil and form block in upper rest positions in which the under surface of the lower member of the block is spaced above the upper surface of the anvil, an assembly consisting of a stayed o-r unstayed openmouthed box superimposed on the upper adhesive surface of a wrapper the margins of which protrude beyond the box, is disposed on the anvil and the form block is lowered by block reciprocating mechanism so that the lower member enters the box and presses the assembly against the anvil and moves the assembly downwards towards a lower position past tools which wipe protruding parts of the wrapper upwards against the sides of the box; at .a stage when the lower member of the block reaches its lower position the upper member is temporarily held above the plane of the box mouth and other tools deflect marginal parts of the wrapper inwards beneath said upper member and over the upper edges of the box walls, and the upper member of the block then completes its descent into the box to apply these inwardly deflected parts to the interior surfaces of the box walls; the block and anvil subsequently rise and the form block moves out of the box to an upper position of rest in which there is a clearance between the under surface of its lower member and the plane of the box mouth. It will be appreciated that provision of this clearance involves an idle travel of the form block, in each cycle of operations of the apparatus, before it enters and after it leaves the box mouth. This apparatus is hereinafter referred to as box wrapping apparatus of the type specified, and examples of it are described and illustrated in our co-pending British patent application No. 27,635/ 63, in British patent specifications Nos. 19,967/ 61 and 467,201, and in United States patent specifications Nos. 691,329 and 2,074,561, to all of which reference may be made for further particulars.

In apparatus of this type as heretofore constructed, the stroke of the form block and the upper and lower positions of its upper member are fixed. However, the depth of the form block employed depends on the depth of the boxes to be wrapped, and therefore lower form block members of differing depth are selected for use: if the boxes are deep, a deeper lower member is used than if the boxes are relatively shallow. Thus the aforesaid clearance and idle travel are inversely proportional to the box depth, and if relatively shallow boxes are to be wrapped an undue proportion of the time cycle may be taken up by this idle travel.

The present invention provides box wrapping apparatus of the type specified having mechanism for reciprocating the form block which incorporates adjustment means for adjusting the length of stroke of the form block while maintaining substantially constant the lower limit of its stroke in relation to the aforesaid tools. By the lower limit of the stroke there is meant the lower position of the upper surface of the upper member, or of the upper surface of the lower member, or both.

This invention also provides box-Wrapping apparatus of the type specified, wherein the block reciprocating mechanism incorporates adjustment means for adjusting the length of stroke of the form block in such manner that the lower position of the top of the lower member of the block remains substantially unchanged by said stroke adjustment but the upper position thereof is changed.

Thus for example, assuming that the machine has been wrapping boxes of a certain depth, using in the form block a lower member of an appropriate depth, the lower position of the top of this lower member is such as to position the mouth of the box for the deflecting tools to operate to deflect the marginal parts of the wrapper inwards beneath the upper member (which is temporarily arrested in a position in which its under surface is above the upper surface of the lower member); the upper position of the top of the lower member is such that, having regard to the depth of the box and the corresponding depth of the lower member, there is a sufficient clear- :ance between the box mouth and the under surface of the lower member. It now it is desired to wrap shallower boxes, a lower portion of appropriately lesser depth is substituted for that previously used. Unless the stroke of the form block were appropriately reduced, the aforesaid clearance would be increased. Conversely were it desired to wrap deeper boxes, employing a lower portion of appropriately greater depth, the aforesaid clearance would be reduced. The present invention, by adjustment of the upper position of the top of the lower member, permits said clearance to be maintained at an appropriate value.

The adjustment means preferably provides for a progressive or multi-stage adjustment. This adjustment permits the idle travel in each cycle to be reduced to a minimum, and therefore permits the time cycle to be speeded up when relatively shallow boxes are being wrapped. This is particularly advantageous in apparatus in which each box is registered on its wrapper either manually or automatically and the assembly is fed automatically to the anvil. The progressive or multi-stage adjustment permits a given apparatus to be adjusted to deal with a wide depth range.

The apparatus desirably incorporates variable speed driving means for driving it through recurrent cycles, and means whereby a speed increase is accompanied by a stroke reduction. Preferably there is an adjustable control for said driving means, and a connection between said control and the adjustment means whereby operation of the control to increase the speed cannot be effected without stroke reduction. Specifically the connection is such that an increase or decrease in stroke is accompanied by a decrease or increase in speed. This permits the speed at which the box to be wrapped is forced past the tools to be maintained at a desired value irrespective of changes in length of stroke. It further permits the time spent in s idle travel (of the form block) in each cycle to be controlled.

Preferably, the block reciprocating mechanism comprises a lever oscillatable with a constant amplitude of swing, and connections for connecting said lever to the block to raise and lower the latter, said connections comprising a connecting rod having at one end a pivotal connection with the lever and, at the other end, a pivotal connection with a plunger connected to the block, and the adjustment means operates to adjust the first said pivotal connection lengthwise of the lever. The lever may have an arcuate slot or other arcuate guide track having a radius substantially equal to the length of the connecting rod and a centre of are which, with the lever in its lowest position, is substantially coincident with the second pivotal connection, the first pivotal connection being adjustable along said arcuate track.

In order that the invention may be better understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURES 1 and 2 are side elevations of the apparatus looking on opposite sides;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation, on a larger scale, showing the adjustment means;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of a part of said means looking from the left in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional plan thereof;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional plan of the head in which the form block is guided;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view of a part of a connection between the speed control and the adjustment means;

FIGURE 8 is a sectional plan showing the form block and associated parts;

FIGURE 9 is an elevation of the form block and associated parts;

FIGURE 10 is a diagram, to be viewed looking from the right of the sheet, illustrating the different form blocks employed for a shallow box and a deep box and the difference in stroke of the form block.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 sufficient of the apparatus is shown to permit it to be identified as being of the type hereinbefore specified. The apparatus comprises a frame indicated generally at 19, having a head 11 by which the form block 12 is guided for vertical reciprocation. This form block comprises an upper member 12a, and a lower member 12!). Below the form block there is an anvil 13, vertically reciprocatable in a support 14 and it is intended that a box, superimposed on the upper adhesive surface of a wrapper the margins of which protrude beyond the box, shall be disposed above this anvil. Boxes 15 and 15' of different depths are illustrated in FIGURE 10 and it will be understood that a lower block member is chosen having a depth commensurate with the depth of the box as is illustrated at 12b, 12b" in FIGURE 10. Some of the wrapper applying tools hereinbefore referred to are indicated at 16, 17 and 18, and, being well understood and conventional in the art, require no further description and illustration herein; they are driven by means 19, 20, 21 from variable speed driving means 22 for driving the apparatus through recurrent cycles. This driving means consists of an electric motor 23, which drives the apparatus through a variable speed drive mechanism 24, of the expanding-pulley and belt type, provided with an adjustable speed control 25 whereby the gear ratio may be adjusted manually. This driving means drives a vertical cam shaft 26 carrying barrel earns 27, 28, the periphcries of which are formed respectively with cam tracks 27a, 28a. Cam 27 oscillates in a vertical plane, and with a constant amplitude of swing, a lever 29 pivoted at 30 and having a cam follower 31 engaging track 27a. The free end of lever 29 is pivotally connected at 32 to a con necting rod 33 the upper end of which is pivotally connected at 34 to a vertical plunger 35 which is guided in head 11 and at its lower end has a stem 35a which at its lower end has a foot or bracket 71 to which the lower member 12b of the form block is reomvably attached by bolts 72 so that lower members 121) of differing sizes may be interchanged one for another.

Slidably guided in suitable vertical tracks in plunger 35', there are two plungers 36 carrying at their lower ends the upper member 12:: of the form block. Specifically, plungers 36 are attached by nuts 73 to a foot or bracket 74 to which the upper member 12a is attached by bolts 75 so that upper members 12aof differing sizes may be interchanged one for another.

The plungers 36 are adjustably connected at their upper ends to a cross piece 37. The arrangement is such that as the lever 29 swings downwards it lowers the plungers 35, 36 and the form block 12 until, at a stage just before the lower member 12b reaches the lower limit of its travel (wherein the upper surface of this lower member occupies a predetermined fixed position) the cross piece 37 comes to rest on a stop or detent 39 on the top of the head 11 so that the upper member 12a makes a temporary pause above the plane of the box mouth. During this descent the assembly of box and wrapper supported on the anvil 13 is forced downwards, and the tools operate to wipe the margins of the wrapper up against the sides of the box. Certain of the tools then move inwards to wipe (in well-understood manner) the extreme marginal portions of the wrapper inwards over the top edge of the box walls and beneath the form block member 12a which has paused above the box mouth. These last mentioned tools then retire. The stop 39 is then moved to an inoperative position and the form block member 12a completes its descent and, entering the box mouth, applies these wipedin portions of the wrapper to the interior surfaces of the box walls.

Stop 39 is moved into and out of its obstructive position by a cam 40 on the top of cam 28, which cam 40 operates a cam lever 41 and a connection 42. Instead of the upper member 12a pausing in its descent, it may complete its descent in company with member 12b, being then temporarily raised to a position above the box mouth to permit the extreme marginal portions of the wrapper to be wiped inwards and being subsequently lowered into the box.

As the lever 29 swings upwards, the form block 12 as a whole is raised and its upward movement is followed in well-understood manner by the anvil 13 and the wrapped box. At a stage when the anvil 13 reaches its upper position the form block 12 continues to rise, but the box is prevented from travelling further upwards with it by strippers 43 carried by a crosshead 44 which is supported by further vertical plungers 45 slidably guided in the head 11. These strippers 43 are lowered at the appropriate time to engage the bottom of the box by means of a lever 46 pivoted at 46a and operated by cam track 28a and connected to cross head 44 by link 47. Thus during the final stages of the upward movement of the form block 12, the wrapped box is held onto the anvil by the strippers 44, and the form block is extracted from the box. The form block ascends to an upper position in which the under surface of lower portion 12b is spaced above the mouth of the stationary wrapped box as already explained and the strippers 43 are also raised.

The point 32 at which the connecting rod 33 is fastened to the oscillating lever 29 is adjustable along an arcuate slot 48 in the latter. The basic characteristics of this slot 48 are:

(a) Its arcuate centre line has a radius equal or substantially equal to the length of connecting rod 33, and

(b) It is stuck from a centre which, with lever 29 in its lowest position, is coincident or substantially coincident with the centre of pivotal connection 34.

Because of these characteristics, adjustment of point 32 along the slot 48 does not change the lower limit of travel of plunger 36 and the lower position of the top of the lower block member 12b, but does change the upper limit of travel of connection point 34 and therefore changes the stroke and the upper position of the top block member 12b. This permits the aforesaid clearance between the box mouth and the under surface of member 1212, at the upper limit of travel, to be adjusted or pre-set.

' The pivotal connection 32 is shown in detail in FIG- URES 35 and comprises a flanged sleeve 50, which is movable along the slot 48 and can be clamped in the desired position by means of a nut 51 and a washer 52. This sleeve houses a rotatable flanged bush 53; a headed set screw 54 extends through the connecting rod 33 and bush 53, and is clamped to them by a nut 55 desirably having a hand lever 55a. In order to shift the pivotal connection 32 along the slot 48, it is necessary to slack off nut 51.

Connections are provided ensuring that the time cycle of the apparatus can only be speeded up if accompanied by a reduction in the stroke of the form block 12. Washer 52 has an extension 52a, constituting a nut through which a lead screw 56 extends lengthwise of lever 29. This lead screw is connected by a universal joint 57, the axis of which is coincident with the axis of the lever pivot 30, to a stub shaft 58 which is journalled in a box 59 at tached to frame 10, and is connected by bevel gearing 60 to a further stub shaft 61. The latter is connected by a universal joint 62 to a shaft 63 itself connected, through a universal joint 64 and bevel gearing 65, to the adjustable speed control 25. Thus rotation of control 25 (after nut 51 has been slacked off) to adjust the ratio of the drive mechanism 24 and the time cycle of the apparatus, rotates the lead screw 56 and adjusts the pivotal connection 32 along slot 48 to adjust the stroke. The connections are such that movement of control 25 in the speed-increasing direction moves connection 32 along slot 48 (to the right in FIGS. 1 and 3) in the strokereducing direction.

It may be desirable to provide means whereby the lower limit of travel of the form block may be adjusted, for example so that the plane of the box mouth may be properly registered with the tools which wipe inwards the marginal parts of the wrapper. In the present apparatus this adjustment is effected by adjusting the effective length of the connecting rod 33 between its points of pivotal connection 32, 34. For this purpose the set screw 54 extends through a slot 66 formed lengthwise in the lower end of connecting rod 33, and is provided with a screwed hole through which an adjustment screw 67 extends. The latter is rotatably mounted in the lower end of connecting rod 33, but is restrained from axial movement and is provided with a knurled head 67 whereby it may be rotated. It will be appreciated that before the set screw 54 can be adjusted along slot 66, it is necessary to slack olf nut 55.

FIGURE illustrates the conditions obtaining at the upper and lower limits of the stroke of the form block in two contrasting examples of, at the right hand side, a form block 12 having a deep lower member 12b for a deep box 15, and at the left hand side a form block 12' having a shallow lower member 1211" for a shallow box both blocks 12, 12 having an identical upper member 12a. At each side of FIGURE 10 the upper part thereof shows the conditions obtaining at the upper limit of the stroke and the lower part thereof shows the conditions obtaining at the lower limit of the stroke at a stage when upper member 12:: has been temporarily prevented by stop 39 from completing its descent. At this stage the wrapper 15 has been wiped up the sides of the boxwalls.

It will be seen that, irrespective of the depth of the box and of the lower member of the form block 12:

(a) The lower position (see line A) of the top of the lower member 12b or 12b" remains constant although its upper position (see lines B and B) is altered;

(b) Since when the descent of the upper member 12a is completed it comes to rest on top of the lower member 12b or 12b, the ultimate lower position of the top of this upper member and (see line A) of the bottom thereof 6 remains constant although the upper position (see lines B and B) is altered;

(c) The change in the upper limit of the stroke, pursuant to a change in the depth of the lower member of the block in accordance with a change in depth of the boxes to be wrapped, is such that the clearance C between the bottom of the lower member and the top of the box walls is constant;

(d) At the lower limit of the stroke, the position of the top of the box walls (see line D) is constant.

What is claimed is:

1. A box wrapping machine of the class described comprising a frame means having an overhanging head with vertical slots therein, form block means including upper and lower members guided for vertical reciprocation in said slots, barrel cam means and lever follower means operably connected to said form block means, variable speed driving means to operate said form block means, and wrapper applying tools connected to said driving means.

2. A box wrapping machine as in claim 1, including an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the length of stroke of the form block means in such a manner that the lower position of the top of the lower member of the block remains substantially unchanged and the position of the upper member of the block means varies by said stroke adjustment mechanism.

3. Box-wrapping apparatus of the type comprising a vertically-reciprocable anvil for the reception thereabove of an assembly of a box wrapper having an adhesive upper surface and a box superimposed mouth uppermost on the wrapper with the margins of the wrap er protruding beyond the box, a vertically-reciprocable form block above the anvil for entry into the box to force the as-l sembly and anvil downwards, said form block consisting of upper and lower members, tools for applying the protruding wrapper margins to the exterior surfaces of sides of the box as the latter is forced downwards, blockreciprocating mechanism for reciprocating the block, means for causing the upper member of the block to be temporarily positioned above the plane of the box mouth at a stage when the lower member reaches its lower position, and tools operable during said temporary positioning to deflect marginal parts of the wrapper inwards beneath said upper member and over the upper edges of the box walls, said upper member thereafter completing its descent into the box to apply those inwardly deflected parts of the interior surfaces of the box walls, and the anvil, wrapped box, and form block thereafter rising, the form block moving out of the box to an upper position of rest in which there is a clearance between the under surface of the lower member and the plane of the box mouth; in which apparatus the block reciprocating mechanism incorporates adjustment means for adjusting the length of stroke of the form block while maintaining substantially constant the lower limit of its stroke in relation to the aforesaid tools.

4. Box-wrapping aparatus of the type comprising a vertically-reciprocable anvil for the reception thereabove of an assembly of a box wrapper having an adhesive upper surface and a box superimposed mouth uppermost on the wrapper with the margins of the wrapper protruding beyond the box, a vertically-reciprocable form block above the anvil for entry into the box to force the assembly and anvil downwards, said form block consisting of upper and lower members, tools for applying the protruding wrapper margins to the exterior surfaces of sides of the box as the latter is forced downwards, block-reciprocating mechanism for reciprocating the block, means for causing the upper member of the block to be temporarily positioned above the plane of the box mouth at a stage when the lower member reaches its lower position, and tools operable during said temporary positioning to deflect marginal parts of the wrapper inwards beneath said upper member and over the upper edges of the box Walls, said upper member thereafter completing its descent into the box to apply those inwardly deflected parts to the interior surfaces of the box Walls, and the anvil, Wrapped box, and form block thereafter rising, the form block moving out of the box to an upper position of rest in which there is a clearance between the under surface of the lower member and the plane of the box mouth; in which apparatus the block reciprocating mechanism incorporates adjustment means for adjusting the length of stroke of the form block in such manner that the lower position of the top of the lower member of the block remains substantially unchanged by said stroke adjustment but the upper position thereof is changed.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the adjustment means provides for a progressive adjustment.

6. Apparatus according to claim 3, having variablespeed driving means for driving it through recurrent cycles, and means whereby a speed increase is accompanied by a stroke reduction.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, having an adjustable control for said driving means, and a connection between said control and the adjustment means whereby operation of the control to increase the speed cannot be effected without stroke reduction.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the connection is such that an increase or decrease in stroke is accompanied by a decrease or increase in speed.

9. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the block reciprocating mechanism comprises a lever oscillatable with a constant amplitude of swing, and connections for connecting said lever to the block to raise and lower the latter, said connections comprising a connecting rod having at one end a pivotal connection with the lever and, at the other end, a pivotal connection with a plunger connected to the block, and wherein said adjustment means operates to adjust the first said pivotal connection lengthwise of the lever.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the lever has an arcuate guide track having a radius substantially equal to the length of the connecting rod and a center of are which, with the lever in its lowest position, is substantially coincident with the second pivotal connection, the first pivotal connection being adjustable along said arcuate track.

No references cited.

GERALD A. DOST, Primary Examiner. 

